The Human Right to Language

In The Human Right to Language, Lawrence M. Siegel, founder and director of the National Deaf Education Project in the United States, presents a powerful argument for the rights of deaf children to equal education. In 1982, the US Supreme Court ruled that Amy Rowley, a deaf six-year-old, was not entitled to have a sign language interpreter in her public school classroom. Siegel here offers a persuasive counterargument to this decision, contending that the Constitution should protect every child’s right to communication and language as part of an individual’s right to liberty. Siegel illustrates his case with details of the challenges deaf students face in mainstream education settings, and he offers many compelling examples of deaf children who are denied their chance at success because of inadequate communication access in schools. This is an extremely important look at education and Constitutional rights.